Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-09-23
Jonah, the Contraband.

General Banks army left Alexandria,
La, on its retreat to the Mississippi in
May, 1864, and few days previous
the subject of this sketch was intro
duced to me, then an infantry Captain,
who had been for some time servant
less. The Orderly Sergeant one morn
ing thrust his head into my tent and
said with something like a grin that
some of the boys who had been out
foraging had brought in fellow that
would suit me. Invent out-and Jonah
was before me.
Would that I could faithfully photo.
graph him. With all my experience with
the negro race in Louisiana, this was
the queerest specimen of it that had
seen. No exaggerated picture on the
posters of minstrel troupe ever sur
passed him in what 1 may call real
0attla7adish7aess. He was black; to
say that he was dark does not convey
an adequate idea of his complexion.
His hair was kinked all over his head
in stubborn knots; his lips turned up
ward and downward in rich pout; his
white teeth and eyeballs cleaned from
their dusky surroundings. He was tall,
lank, loose-jointed, long armed, and with
such hands and feet as have never yet
been modelled. A great plantation
straw hat covered his head; his feet
were bare; he wore suit of striped
cotton, and carried small bundle in
his hand. His unique appearance had
attracted dozen of the company to
the spot, and they stood by, ready for
fun.
But Jonah was all business. He had
been house servant on q plantation
up the Red River; the appearance of
our army had frightened away his "ole
mas'r" and scattered the negroes.
"Some gone dis way, some dat" was
his own language as to what had fol-
lowed. "Some gone down de ribber to
list in de Cordy Freak. Some loafs
about in de woods and de fields. An
some follows yo' army. l'se one Oh
dem last. likes de milit'ry, and Use
goin' along wild yo'. Dat is, if I can be
servant OBJ q captain"
There was certain originality as
we'll as grotesqueness about the fellow,
that captivated me at once. For the
purpose of hearing his amusing talk,
"Why, wouldn't you be servant to
any less officer than captain?"
"My ole mas'r was man OBJ quality,
an Use got to keep up de dignity"
"But do you know what it is to be
servant in the army? Won't you be
frightened when you hear tiring?"
20, yo' nebber fear fob Jonah! Hab
heard de big guns go off befo', when
all de darkies ran away, an Jonah jes'
stood latin at 'em. Dat was up to old
mas'r's house, when de big shells come
whoop-whoop!- screech-screech!-
whish, 1chish, wH1sH-sh-sh!- troo
de trees, and dc boys all shake, an
say he say, Where dat niggah? Where
dat niggah?'"
His own broad laughter at the remi-
nlscence would have been irresistible of
itself, but his imitation of the peculiar
whistle and scream of fuse-shell was
so life-like that he drew o chorus of
approving mirth and comment from the
listening group of soldiers
But I'm afraid, Jonah, that if I take
you you will treat me as the others
have done. You'll find the marching
too hard, and you will leave me of a
sudden, as they did"
"No, sab; I won't! Yo' ies' trus'
Jonah for dat. When he say he go,
he will go; an he stick by 20. too.
The result was that the lad Che could
not have been twenty was duly ill.,
stalled; and candor compels me to say
that the man Friday of the greatest Of
all stories of adventure was not more
faithful to his master than was
Jonah to me. Down the Red and the
Mississippi to our camp at Morganzia
he followed the army in that exciting
march, in the sultry weather and the
dust. When the Nineteenth Corps
took ship and went to sea under sealed
orders for some unknown destination
in the following month, Jonah steadily
refused to remain in his native Louisi.
| ana. He had coined de army" aud